New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-06-11
VHY THIS DELATf

Has the Interstate Commission gone TO
sleepi Possibly that would be the best thing
it could do, after first revoking all orders 1t
has issued thus far, because Its partial sus-
pension Of the moro important features OF the
law only breaks the force Of the act for small
part of the railroads, delaying in respect to
them the litigation by which alone the validity
and meaning of the law can be determined.
and meanwhile binding the people of certain
sections or towns to the nature Of the act
President Grant used to say that the right
way to convince people Of the unwisdom of a
bad law was to enforce it 1t may be said
more broadly that the only way to find out
whether law is good or bad Is to enforce 1T
When Congress meets, scarcely any other ques-
ton is likely to be more quickly taken up, or
more earnestly debated, than the question
whether the Interstate Commerce law Is good
or bad In it's practical workings. How are
the people Of the Southern States to decide Tor
themselves or to give any useful instruction 10
their members, if the law Is to continue In
operative on substantially all Southern roads.
while it is enforced on nearly all Northern
roads Certainly it was not this that Con-
gress intended.
Apparently III Is sOtVitu OiniV u4io
will not broadly suspend the fourth section
of the act with respect to Northern railroads
generally. Ii that were done the struggle Tor
an enactment of that nature which could not
be set aside or suspended would at once begin
Until the people, especially of the Western
and Southern States have had full opportunity
to learn by experience what 1t means for them
to enforce the short haul provision, there Is
10 prospect that 1t will be repealed, or so
modified as to be innocuous This being the
situation. there seems to DO nothing tit to be
done but to enforce the act, faithfully, reason
ably, but above all impartaly so that all sec
tions NAV como to understand 1T alike.
Tho fact that the law is not so enforced as
vet. because hasty orders have temporarily
SUSPENDED Its force, Is not creditable to the
Commission. But the discredit does not wear
away; on the contrary it increases with the
lapse of time The excuse that some special
investigation seemed to be demanded by the
condition of transportation in the more sparse
" settled Southern States is one that is too
frivolous now to be repeated. The lnvcshgl-
ton has been had Applications in large num-
Der, from other regions as sparsely settled,
havo been disregarded or refused by the Com
mission for reasons which, it is but fair to
say, command the public approval. The law
clearly does not intend that the Commission
shall set aside any part of it generally, or In
other than special and exceptional cases, and
the duty of changing the law rests with Con
gress. as the duty of interpreting it rests
with the courts.
There Is growing an impression, which the
conduct of the Commission does not vet remove.
that the act is not enforced in Southern States
for political reasons. Persons far too influ
entail to be disrcgarded by the Administra-
ton, or by the party represented by majority
Of the Commissioners. control railroads and
lines of transportation at the South. The i'm
preston that the Administration does not dare
to enforce law which these men want 10
nullify, though 1t ought to be and may be
entirely groundless, Is one that must Of ncces-
sity take deeper root overy day that action
by tho Commission Is delayed.